Israel's foreign minister and man behind the loyalty oath idea, Avigdor Lieberman (no relation to Joe, with the exception that they're both awful human beings).
From Al Jazeera:
The Israeli parliament has passed a preliminary reading of a bill that would mandate the imprisonment of anyone who calls for the end of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, according to the Jerusalem Post newspaper.
The bill was passed on Wednesday by the Knesset with the support of 47 members, or MKs.
Thirty-four MKs opposed and one abstained, the daily said.
Sponsored by Zevulun Orlev, an Israel Beiteinu MK, the bill stipulates one-year imprisonment of any person who makes "such public statement".
The bill is part of two draft laws proposed by the Israel Beiteinu.
The first is the Loyalty Oath Law that obliges all Palestinian Israelis to pledge allegiance to the Jewish identity of the state.
The second is the Nakba Law, which bans commemoration of the 1948 dispossession of the Palestinians as a result of the creation of Israel.
Israel Beitenu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister, grew to be Israel's third largest political party in the February election, reflecting a shift to the right by the Israeli public.
So, a loyalty oath to Israel as a Jewish state, huh?
What exactly will that entail? Like, if I simply admitted a love for Woody Allen flicks and motzaball, would that suffice, or would I have to grab my Torah and rattle off some prayers?
And as for the commemoration of the Nakba, would I as an Israeli have to kind of forget that a bunch of Arabs had to leave my country for it to be established? Could I say something like "Oh all hail the founding of Israel! Kinda sucks for those Palestinians who had to be expelled, though" -- or would that get me imprisoned on the spot?
I was at a meeting one time where one gentleman suggested that we don't really uphold the separation of church and state in our country if we continue to fund the governments (a separate issue from aiding the people) abroad that see no separation, and who actively persecute other people based on their race and religion. That's something to think about.
Other than that, I just wonder if there's no one in Israel with a sense of irony. The country created as a direct result of persecution based on fanatical nationalism teetering towards fanatical nationalism. Someone's turning in their grave right now.
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